The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-04
CAUGHT WITH A DEC0Y.
A CONFIDENCE SHARP NEATLY
4 NIPPED AT his GAME.

NH kin and Williamson for working
the Mails-Letters Sent to Promi-
~ nent Savannahians Lead to His Cap
ture-The Confidence Circular.
The MORNING NEWS announced yester-
iay the arrest in jacksonville of w. p
Hamilton for using the United States mails
for improper purposes. II is charged that
Hamilton has been working a confidence
game through the mails and that he has been
generating for some time past, but not until
recently have the post Office inspectors had
any clue to his identity or any knowledge
of his method. The needed information
was obtained through Savannah merchant
On Saturday. May IS, Mr. J. c. Thomp-
son, grocer at Barnard and Broughton
streets, received a circular, Of which the
following is a copy:
WORKING" The NAILS.
Iu sending you this letter win say that your
name has been given me as a person who would
like to make fortune IS easily and quickly as
possible. Now to business which you will re
ceive in strict aonfadence. Ii is a well known
fact that there is in circulation to day hundreds
Of thousands of dollars OF counterfeit money
This is known to the authorities and every effort
is being made to put stop too this circulation
by capturin the counterfeitors, destroying the
plates &c. For this reeson we have left the
United States and doing our work in Cuba Our
plates are exactly the same as those used in the
department the fibre the same and the sharpest
bankers crn knot detect any difference between
our make and the genuine greenbacks in fact
the imitation is perfect that il is passed right
into the banks without word wherever pre-
sented. Now as we are manufacturing these
goods eve call them goods, never greenbacksl in
Cuba and as they are worthless there have
lately established myself in this place as the
most convenient, and desire TO
have an agent in each and every
In order to do this viii say that if you wish
10 handle these goods and want the right to
your county or TO more than one county You
can let me know when you make your first
ten dollars which you can examine carefully be
fore you consent to handle IL in large quantities.
VIII send you this much on receipt OF the ten
dollars and after that viii not let you or any
one els in your county hav less than ten thou
sand dollars at time which viii cost you five
hundred dollars.
AN EXTRAORDINARY OFFER.
We make this extraordinary offer bekause we
ere determined to sell our goods. Now ] will
state Just here that we have not chofen large
city to practice a sawdust game. or perpetrate
fraud, or to swindle you out Of your money
hut to help those who are willing TO help them
selves TO make back the fortunes of which we
were robbed in the late war. now is your time
70 Act. send as soon as you kan if you desire to
our extraordinary offer Of 800 for $40
Us q Sllf11c1ent guarantee tnaf we mean business
So send at once if you wish the right TO handle
il in your county. We have now on hand over a
million and want to dispose of it as quickly as
possible will write the name and address on
slip of paper which you win find inclosed in
this. Send the money as directed on this slip of
paper and write your name and address plainly,
and give us instructions where 10 send to as we
can only send by express. strike before it is too
late.
WHO SENT THE CIRCULAR.
Accompanying the circular was a small
piece of brown paper on which was written
80 ink: ''Send money by express. w. p.
milton, Jacksonville, Fla" And on the
per left-hand corner of the envelope: ''If
II delivered return to lock box 295, Jack
hville. Fla" Mr.. Thompson was not the
NJ Savannah gentleman who received
e circulars. In fact, it is thought that a
rye number of them were mailed to this
fy. 1t is certain that they We're received
some others, among whom YVES Mr.. Pat
in the hands of a MORNING NEWS
reporter. Mr. Thompson took the
letter to United States Commissioner
Erwin, who devised plan to capture Ham
ilton. He wrote to United States Marshal
Bird at Jacksonville and inclosed the circu-
lar and slip of paper received by Mr..
Thompson. He also stated that on Monday
he would mail to Hanlilton's lock box an un-
signed letter, telling him to call at the ex-
press Office for a package He instructed
the Marshal TO fix up decoy package at the
express Office, and wftAn Hamilton
called to get it, to require
him receipt for it, and as soon as he signed
his name To arrest him. The letter to the
Marshal was mailed Saturday night On
Monday morning, while Commissioner
Erwin was considering the letter to be sent
TO Hamilton, Post Slice Inspector Boykin
walked into his Office and the case was
turned over to him. When he had learned
- - IL a. ~.
asked him if he had received Commissioner
Erwins letter. The Marshal answered
that he had. Inspector Boykin then
wired him to take no steps in the matter as
be would be there the next day. He took
The train for Jacksonville and reached there
Tuesday morning. He then proceeded to
carry out the plan adopted by Commissioner
Erwin but did not perfect the details until
Thursday when the trap was sprung.
OFFICERS SET THEIR TRAP.
The bogus package was placed in the ex-
press office, and Special Deputy Sheriff Vim
zant was placed in the Office while Officer
Bennett remained outside. Inspectors Boy
kin and Williamson went to the post office
Ma. q watch the lock box. Meanwhile, Hamil-
M 90 was walking the streets with friend
ned Feiber When the two were oppo-
the express Office Hamilton asked
Der to go over and see il
tre was a package there for him
fber consented, and as he received the
ckage Vinzant stepped up, and asked hin
be was Hamilton. He replied that he was
but Hamilton was just across the street
INFANT asked Feiber to walk over with him
he wished TO see Hamilton, and the tive
soined Hamilton while Officer Bennett fol
lowed a few feet away. Vinzant asked
Hamilton what his name was
and he gave it w. r. Hamilton
He was Immediately arrested and Jailed
Officer Bennett taking Feiber also. The tive
were taken before United States Commits
sioner Walker Hamilton confessed that h,
was the sender of the circulars, but declared
that Feiber was innocent. Feiber protested
that he had nothing 10 do with the case ano
wps very much incensed at his arrest. Botf
were held and their bail was fixed at $50
each, in defallt Of which they went TO Jail
When the hearing was concluded they
were searched, and upon Hamilton WA,
found 80 and a number OF business cards.
His room was searched also, and in his grJ
were found lot of the circulars, the adj
dresses Of several Savannah people and 4
package Of letters. one of which was from
a Georgia postmaster asking what his term;
were
Inspector Boyl,in said that the post Office
authorities have known for some time that